James Altucher on Anxiety

When Altucher wakes up at 3am full of worry or anxiety, instead of fighting it, he reschedules it to 3pm the next day. By allowing himself to come back to it later, he is able to return to a calm state now and get some rest.

By the time 3pm comes around, he has long since moved on from the anxious thought.

I remember reading about smokers using a similar trick to quit. Whenever they get a craving, they convince themselves that they won’t have a cigarette now, but can have one tomorrow. It helps fight the craving in the moment, and when tomorrow comes, they repeat the trick.

So next time you’re struggling with a thought or habit – just lie to yourself!